Parenting Plans
Practical, child-focused arrangements that both parents can actually work with.
A parenting plan isn’t just a legal document — it’s a framework for how two parents continue to raise a child after separation. When it’s done well, it reduces conflict, creates certainty for the child and gives both parents a clear picture of their responsibilities. Barnard’s Family Law team helps parents put plans in place that are practical, enforceable and genuinely focused on the child’s best interests.
What we help you do
Group 1: Drafting and structuring
- Parenting plans for separating and divorcing parents
- Primary care, residence and day-to-day arrangements
- Contact schedules — weekly, holiday and special occasions
- Decision-making authority and how disagreements are handled
Group 2: Formalising and registering
- Turning informal arrangements into properly documented plans
- Making parenting plans an order of court for enforceability
- Mediator-assisted plans and legally supported agreements
- Ensuring the plan reflects the child’s current and future needs
Group 3: Variation and enforcement
- Varying existing plans when circumstances change materially
- Enforcing plans where one parent is not complying
- Dealing with unilateral changes to agreed arrangements
- Urgent applications where non-compliance is affecting the child
A good parenting plan is about the child — not the conflict
The best parenting plans are detailed enough to prevent disputes, flexible enough to adapt as the child grows, and written in a way that keeps the focus where it belongs — on the child.
Plans that are too vague tend to become sources of ongoing conflict. Plans that are too rigid can’t accommodate real life. Getting the balance right takes experience, and it’s much easier to do at the start than to fix later when positions have hardened.
How we work (so you know what happens next)
Step 1: Understand the family situation
We listen to what the current arrangements are, what the child needs and where the areas of agreement and disagreement lie.
Step 2: Draft a plan that works in practice
We put together a plan that covers the key issues clearly — care, contact, decision-making, holidays and what happens when things change.
Step 3: Work towards agreement
Where both parents are willing to engage, we help move towards a plan that both can sign. Where they can’t, we advise on the next steps.
Step 4: Make it enforceable
We make the plan an order of court where appropriate — so that it carries real legal weight if it needs to be enforced later.
You’ll have a plan that is clear, practical and gives your child the certainty they need.
Related services
This often connects with...
Anti-Nuptial Contracts
Matrimonial property arrangements, accrual structuring and asset protection before marriage
Child Rights
Care, contact, parenting plans, guardianship and enforcement
Customary Marriages
Registration, rights, dissolution, children and property in customary marriages
Divorce
Uncontested and contested divorce, settlement, assets and children
Domestic Violence & Protection Orders
Emergency protection orders, domestic abuse, safe exit and children at risk
Family Mediation & Settlement
Mediation, settlement documentation, divorce settlement and co-parenting agreements
Maintenance
Claims, enforcement, variations and maintenance disputes
Matrimonial Property
Accrual structuring, matrimonial property and divorce consequences
Parenting Plans
Parenting plans, formalising arrangements, variation and enforcement
Parenting plan resources
When children need certainty, a clear plan makes all the difference
